


Blue Skies

by MrRhapsodist



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Grief/Mourning, Moving On, Post-Canon, Romance, Second Chances, Wardfield
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-20
Updated: 2016-08-01
Packaged: 2018-07-25 12:50:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7533418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrRhapsodist/pseuds/MrRhapsodist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Months after making one last choice and losing her best friend all over again, Max struggles to find inner peace in Arcadia Bay. Her savior comes in the form of Dana Ward, her cheerleader neighbor in the Blackwell dorms. Hand in hand, they work to redefine their lives after the chaos of last October and to grow beyond mere friendship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tempest

**Author's Note:**

> Some of my readers asked for more Wardfield. I've been itching to oblige them. I wanted to keep this one short, but not short enough to be a one-shot. Stay tuned for 2 more chapters!

**Part I: Tempest**

**_Now_ **

They walked hand in hand across the boardwalk. Above them, seagulls whirled and cried their songs against the roar and the foaming spray of the nearby ocean. Dozens of people surrounded them, ducking in and out of quaint storefronts and a hundred little vendor carts selling everything from imported tea to handmade seashell necklaces. Through the hustle and bustle, they walked, totally oblivious to the typical Saturday morning mayhem.

“You know, I used to love coming here as a kid,” Max Caulfield was saying. “We, uh... that is, Chloe and I...”

She tried to say more. Tried, and failed. Her thoughts led her down a black and thorny road, full of thunderclaps and rain and gunshots. Not even the ocean was soothing. If anything, the gentle crashing waves only reminded her of the storm. She saw their tearful goodbye and their final kiss on the cliff, right before she made one last jump.

No one knew what Max knew. No one else had lived through the week from Hell that she’d faced. Not even those closest to her.

“Max, it’s cool. I get it.” Dana Ward squeezed her hand and smiled. Her earrings shimmered in the mid-morning light. “Lots of childhood memories here. I’m just surprised you wanted to come.”

Max stopped walking. She turned to Dana and looked her in the eye, taking hold of her other hand.

“Maybe I just want to make some new memories,” she said. “With you.”

“Aww!” Dana yanked Max off her feet and into a sudden hug. “Max, you are the sweetest!”

Max giggled against her girlfriend’s chest. It felt good to be doing this. This was what normal couples did, wasn’t it? They laughed and held hands and texted sweet nothings to each other. From where she stood, she saw other couples her age or older doing the same. Being together. Sharing the weekend. What was wrong with that?

Meanwhile, Dana let go, but she held onto Max’s hand just like before. Her eyes sparkled as they searched the smaller girl’s face.

“I want you to be happy, too,” she added in a soft voice. “So you tell me. Where do you wanna go next?”

“That depends. How hungry are you?”

“Well... I _could_ eat.”

“It wouldn’t have anything to do with that cupcake store you’ve been eyeing, would it?”

Dana giggled and looked away. “Maybe?”

Max shook her head, but she laughed anyway. “Come on, then. We might as well hurry before the line gets too long.”

* * *

**_Then_ **

Someone knocked on Max’s door. Her head rose up from the collage of photos that littered her bedspread. A long, awkward moment passed while she tried to blink away the images of a long-lost childhood from her eyes. Not a good sign for how long she’d been staring at these pictures.

She cleared her throat and dabbed at her eyes, choking back that telltale sob. Only then did she raise her voice and answer, “Come in!”

The door opened, and Dana poked her head in with a smile. “Hey, Max. Is this a bad time?”

Max breathed a sigh of relief. Her stomach unclenched itself as she hopped off the bed. “Not at all.” She moved to pull the door open all the way. “How’s it going, Dana?”

The cheerleader sauntered into Max’s room, stylishly dressed as always. It wasn’t lost on Max that she was about as well-off as Victoria Chase, but Dana never flaunted her wealth over their classmates. She could’ve been the next Rachel Amber on campus, but remembering Rachel—and what had happened to her—only left Max feeling depressed again. She made a point of blocking the pile of photos on her bed from Dana’s view.

“I’m good,” Dana replied. She swung back toward Max, her cheerful smile fading as she did. “Um, are _you_ okay?”

“I’m... fine.” Even Max could hear how fake her words sounded. She wanted to kick herself. “I was just going over some things from home. You know, personal stuff.”

“Oh, yeah. Of course. Hope I'm not interrupting or anything—”

“No worries.” Max rubbed at her arm, an old but comforting tic. “Did you need something?”

Dana ducked her head, but not fast enough for Max to miss her smile. “You know, now that I’m here, it seems kinda silly.”

“I'm sure it’s not. What’s on your mind?”

“I was gonna ask if you wanted to grab dinner with me?” Dana was still blushing. “I mean, I would’ve asked Juliet to come with us, but she and Zach are shacked up in his room, and...”

“Ugh.” Max wrinkled her nose.

“Exactly.” Dana took a tentative step closer. “It’s okay if you don't wanna go. I know this hasn't been an easy time for you.”

 _You don’t know the half of it_ , Max thought, only to immediately regret it. That wasn’t fair to Dana. No one could know what she’d seen. What she’d done. The only person who could have was dead, and even a month later, she still wasn’t over it. Not even the blue butterfly that haunted her dreams could bring her much relief.

Chloe was gone. Chloe would always be watching over her. Either way, it still hurt.

Max turned back to the photos on her bed. She gave them a thoughtful glance before looking back at Dana. “I’ll come with you, but on one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“That you help me tidy up before we go.” Max tried to give her a reassuring smile. “I don't know if you’ve noticed, but I’m a mess.”

Dana giggled. “Sure thing, Max.”

* * *

**_Now_ **

Despite Dana’s insistence, Max hadn’t found the cupcakes as tasty as she’d hoped. The designer bakery made each one glitter with enough high-sugar frosting and exotic ingredients that it was like trying to eat a Fabergé egg. And, when you factored in the price, it was about as expensive. At least Dana had enough on her charge card to cover the two treats. Max could only imagine her mother’s horror if she’d tried to justify the price on her account.

They sat together on a bench, finishing their snacks and looking out at the sea. Max leaned her head against Dana’s shoulder. The sun’s warmth left her sleepy, and her girlfriend’s shoulder was soft and inviting. Her lap looked even more comfortable, but Max knew better than to plop her head down there. Not in public, at least.

“Whatcha thinking about?” asked Dana.

Max grinned. “I can’t tell you that.”

“Why not?”

“Because we’re nowhere near a bedroom to make it happen.”

“Oh my God, Max...” Dana’s groan came out through pursed lips. It didn’t stop her fingers from brushing Max’s hair. “Who knew the geek girl was so naughty?”

“I had a good teacher.”

“Well, I try.”

“Actually, I was talking about—”

“ _Chloe!_ ”

The voice came out of nowhere. Max nearly bolted off the bench. She whirled around to spot whoever had said that, and for one long second, she dreaded seeing that all-too-familiar face underneath a mop of blue hair.

But she wasn’t there.

Instead, what Max saw was an older woman, maybe a few years younger than Joyce. She knelt down on the boardwalk and held out her arms. Running up to hug her was a girl with blonde pigtails, perhaps just old enough to be in kindergarten. The crowd of pedestrians had thinned long enough for Max to catch this quiet interaction, but even as the sea of people swept over the parent and child, she could still hear the mother ask, “ _Did you have fun on the boat..._?”

“Max?” Dana nudged her on the shoulder. “Something wrong?”

“N-no, why?”

“Max, you’re shivering.” Before she could protest, Dana had slipped off her jacket and put it on Max’s shoulders. She gave the other girl a brief hug before reexamining her. “If you need to go somewhere, you can tell me. I promise it’s okay.”

While her first instinct was to repeat that she was all right, Max paused. She lifted a hand to her cheeks, feeling cold streaks running down. When she saw teardrops glistening on her fingers, she sighed and closed her eyes. The noise from the boardwalk had faded, leaving only the fluttering ocean breeze and the desperate thud of her heartbeat. She’d gone cold from head to toe, shivering like she was back on the shore, reunited with her best friend as they faced down the storm.

Her only warmth was Dana’s hand squeezing tight around her wrist.

“I...” Max took a few shallow breaths. She promised herself she wouldn’t cry in front of Dana. Not here, at least. When her eyes felt drier, she glanced at her girlfriend. “I think I’m done here.”

Dana nodded, biting her lower lip. “Where do you want to go?”

“The Two Whales.” Max swallowed. “I... I need to see Joyce.”

Dana didn’t even hesitate to help her stand up from the bench. As they left the boardwalk, she kept one arm wrapped around Max’s shoulders the entire time.

* * *

**_Then_ **

A few months earlier, Max had been nostalgic when she’d first reentered the Two Whales Diner. She’d sat in her booth, luxuriating over the cozy sights, sounds, and smells from her childhood. Seeing Joyce and Chloe again had only made those feelings stronger. The diner had been a sanctuary in more ways than one.

Now, sitting in a booth across from Dana, Max couldn’t stop shivering. Everywhere she looked, she saw the chaos from the storm. Behind the counter, she’d seen Joyce bandage up a wounded and bitter Frank Bowers. Only a few feet away, she’d shared one last hug with Warren before jumping back through time with his life-saving photo. Max was even certain that she’d sat in this very booth on that stormy night, where Frank’s dog Pompidou had rested his head on her lap while she contemplated the doomsday scenario outside.

Even her clothes were the same. Max had grabbed a black leather jacket and the bullet necklace from her closet without thinking. If Dana thought anything was unusual about her fashion choice, though, she hadn’t said anything.

“How’s your food?” Dana asked. She took another sip from the steaming cup of coffee in her hand. As soon as they’d arrived, she’d demolished her plate of eggs and toast, in contrast to Max’s barely touched meal.

Max shrugged. “It’s okay. I guess my appetite wasn’t too strong.” She licked her lips while she scrambled for something more genteel to add. “Um, I hope you’re not _too_ put off—”

Dana set down her mug and smiled in disbelief. “Max, seriously? I _asked_ you to come with me. I’m not gonna judge if you’re not hungry.” She blushed and looked away. “Maybe I just wanted some company tonight.”

“Oh. Right.” Max ducked her head as well. How stupid. And how typical to stick her foot in her mouth like that.

When Dana didn’t look up from her plate, Max decided to change tactics. After all, she’d offered to pay for everything and had been nothing but cheerful during the bus ride off campus. Calling up her memory of Dana dancing on her bed, totally carefree, Max let that same smile come to her face. She leaned back in her seat and said, “I am glad you asked me, though. I did need to get out of the dorms for a while.”

“I’ve noticed.” Dana’s eyes flashed up toward Max, and she was surprised to see a glimmer of pain inside them. “You might’ve been smart for staying in, though.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“Well, things haven’t been great across campus lately.” Dana crossed her arms over her chest, briefly wrestling with whatever on her mind. She looked over at Max again, still upset. “I hate to bring this up, but, well, you _were_ there when Nathan... you know...”

“When he got arrested,” Max finished. Her hand tightened on the napkin resting on her lap, crumpling it up in her fist. “What about it?”

“It’s just... it was a scary time. I know for you—God, I can’t even imagine what that must have been like—but, like, everyone at Blackwell’s been freaking out since then. All the stuff that came out about Nathan. And Mr. Jefferson. And Kate...” Dana’s eyes misted over, and Max hesitated before lifting up her unused napkin to offer as a tissue. The other girl, however, waved her off. “I’m not sad that the truth came out. But it means that we can’t go back, you know? The Vortex Club’s falling apart more and more. Even Victoria stopped showing up to those parties.”

Max let out a sigh. “Jesus, Dana. I had no idea. How are you holding up?”

“Well, that’s just it.” Taking a deep breath, Dana slumped back into her seat. “I’m reevaluating a lot of my choices right now. Like, what happened with Logan. And where things are with Trevor.” She shrugged. “Like I said, it’s scary.”

Max reached out her hand. She felt a little of her old strength coming back. The power that had propelled her to reach out to Kate on a rainy rooftop, that had sent her through a Vortex Club rave, to find and reassure each classmate even as she and Chloe hunted a killer in their midst. She waited until Dana looked back, smiled, and put her hand into Max’s waiting palm.

“Dana,” said Max, still smiling, “is this your way of asking me you’d like to hang out more?”

“Maybe.” Dana tilted her head to the side. “Would you like that?”

“It’s like you said. Maybe we _both_ need to change what we’ve been doing so far.”

* * *

**_Now_ **

By the time they reached the diner, Dana had to help Max off the bus with slow steps and a lot of gentle coaxing. Thankfully, she no longer needed the jacket for warmth. The mid-afternoon sun cast a hazy swelter over this part of Arcadia Bay, unusually hot for this time of year.

Even so, Dana still insisted on holding Max’s hand the entire time. Max thanked Heaven for that.

As it turned out, their timing couldn’t have been better. Coming around the back of the diner was Joyce Price, still wearing her uniform and armed with her leather purse. She did a double-take when she saw the two girls coming over. Then a brilliant smile split her tired face, and she trotted over to Max to sweep her into a hug.

“Sweetie, how’ve you been?” Joyce let go of Max and turned to smile at Dana. “And hello to you, too, dear. I’m sorry my shift just ended. I would’ve stayed longer to cook y’all a bite to eat.”

“That’s sweet of you, Joyce, but we’re not hungry.” Max fought back the quaver in her voice. Enough weeks had gone by for her to stop associating Joyce with the storm in one timeline and with Chloe’s funeral in another. Now she saw a kind, often tired woman who was practically her second mother.

She steeled herself, taking solace from the pressure of Dana’s hand. “Actually, I’m glad we ran into you. I wanted to ask you something.”

Joyce readjusted the strap of her purse on her shoulder. “Of course. What’s on your mind, Max?”

“Do you...?” Max cleared her throat. “Do you remember, back in October, that offer you made me? To come and stay the night? At your place?”

“At my...? Oh.” Joyce blinked. “Max, darling, you’re always welcome. I just... well, I didn’t think you were ready.”

Max squeezed Dana’s hand. Dana squeezed back. They didn’t need to look at each other. In her head, Max could still remember how much anguish she’d endured when Joyce had made that offer months ago, with tears still in her eyes and tenderness in her voice. She’d sat across from Max in a booth at the Two Whales, with David right beside her, holding her throughout their conversation. There had been a lot of tears that evening between the three of them. All Max had said was that she needed time, but that it would happen.

 _Someday I’ll visit,_ she’d promised. But even as she spoke, she felt hollow inside. It sounded too much like promising Chloe she’d call or visit her, only to be absent for five long years.

She was never going to break that promise again. Not in this timeline.

“If I don’t now,” Max replied, “I don’t think I ever will.” Then, with a happy aside glance toward Dana, she added, “Besides, I’m not coming over by myself...”


	2. Shelter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Dana take their relationship to the next level. Meanwhile, Max confronts the pain that's been coiled up inside her for months.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting this a few days early because I'm on a roll with writing!

**Part II: Shelter**

**_Then_ **

Max led the way up the trail, keeping one eye on the lighthouse looming near the top of the cliff. She found herself enjoying the walk through the woods for a change. No more blackouts or sightings of ethereal deer. The last time she’d visited had been two months earlier, on the morning of the funeral. She’d worn black and sat on the bench, trying to carry on one last conversation with her dearly departed. Her eyes stung just thinking about it.

“Max?” Dana’s voice rang out from farther down the trail. “A little help?” Then, in a lower voice, she added, “No, I don't have any food! Beat it!”

Chuckling, Max retreated down the path. Poor Dana had a pair of squirrels chittering at her heels, and by the look of it, they were ready to snack on her designer shoes. Max allowed herself a second just to watch the cheerleader nimbly dodge each of the critters’ attacks.

“I’ve never seen them so aggressive,” said Max. With a pair of heavy stomps toward Dana, Max stared down the squirrels. They chittered back and fled into the forest.

Meanwhile, Dana had stopped to fix her hair. When she caught Max staring, she joked, “If they’d been Blackwell bros, I’d be chasing them with a stick.”

Max chuckled. “Probably. You ready to make the final descent?”

“Lead the way, Super Max!”

“Groan. Please don’t call me that...”

“But it makes you blush, and you look super cute when you do.”

Turning her back on Dana, Max prayed she couldn’t hear how loud her heart was beating over that remark. Over the last two weeks, they’d been inseparable, even to the point where Dana was intruding on Max’s weekly tea dates with Kate. Not that Kate minded in the slightest; she was glad to have another friend who could appreciate the dark side of a Vortex Club party. As for Max, she’d begun to find excuses to get alone with Dana, to the point where the cheerleader had fallen asleep on Max’s couch after a late-night study session.

Now they stood together on the cliff by the lighthouse, staring out at the gleaming ocean below. Max stood close to Dana for warmth, even though they were both wearing heavy jackets.

“I miss this,” Dana remarked. “You know the last time I was up here was for a Bigfoots party?” She gestured over her shoulder. “You can see the campfire over there.”

“Did you guys ever make it into the lighthouse?” asked Max.

“I think Logan tried to force the lock one time, but...” Dana opened her mouth to say more, but nothing came. She closed it and shook her head. “Never mind.”

“Something wrong?”

“It’s nothing.” Dana shrugged. “Old memories. I’m just being silly.”

“Dana...” Max tugged at her shoulder. “Come on. You can tell me.”

For a long moment, Dana said nothing. When she looked at Max, her eyes were full of unshed tears. Max didn’t even think twice about reaching over and pulling her in for a soft hug, resting her head against Dana’s collarbone.

“Tell me something, Max,” Dana added in a quiet voice. “Did... do you believe in soulmates?”

Max pressed herself against her friend, fighting back tears of her own. Her voice came out in a tiny, muffled squeal. “Yes.”

“I thought Trevor was mine. And Logan before him. But now I can’t stand either of them.” Dana paused to give Max a little space and look down at her. Tears still shone in her eyes, but she didn’t look quite so crestfallen. “I, uh, don’t mean to pry, but were you ever in love, Max? Did anyone ever break your heart?”

Now it was Max’s turn to go silent. She was too busy having flashbacks to the last time she stood here with someone else. Amidst swirling raindrops and cracks of lightning, as their world ended around them, their lips had met for the last time.

“Chloe...” Her name came out weak and breathless. Max blinked back tears and glanced up at Dana. Her heart pounded, drowning out the roar of the storm. “She is— _was_ —my best friend. I never thought I could love anyone the way I loved her. And I... I couldn’t save her...”

That ancient October grief was threatening to return with a vengeance. She couldn’t say another word.

Dana, however, didn’t let her. She drew Max back into her arms and pushed her head onto her shoulder. Max let out a tiny sob, but that was all. Her grief faded as the joy of a friend’s embrace overtook her. Every tortured image of Chloe laughing, crying, swearing, driving, and dying washed away moment by moment, until all she had left was Dana Ward and her strong arms keeping her in the present.

When she stepped back and looked down at Max, Dana was crying, too. Unlike Max, she was smiling.

“I’m sorry if I made you cry,” she said. “You’ve got a big heart, Max. I like that about you.”

Max nodded and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “I like you, too, Dana...”

Dana’s stare grew intense. “I know. And I’m jealous of Chloe.”

“Why?”

“Because she got to see how wonderful you are before any of us did.”

Now they stood closer together. Max could’ve sworn at that moment that she heard Dana’s heart beating, too. Loud enough to rival hers.

Max fumbled for words. All she could come up with was, “Dana, can I...? I mean, are we...?”

Nothing else needed to be said. Dana slipped one hand around Max’s waist and the other behind her head. She closed the distance between them and kissed Max gently on the lips. Max let out a tiny gasp behind closed lips, but when Dana persisted, she found herself returning the kiss. Her hands wandered toward the small of Dana’s back and circled it.

The sun had almost set by the time they left the lighthouse. Max held on tight to Dana’s hand during the entire walk back down.

* * *

**_Now_ **

They chose to visit the Price house on a Saturday night. Joyce, of course, had insisted on giving her guests a home-cooked meal, complete with chocolate cake for dessert. The food was excellent, though Max had to fight back tears while she ate.

As for David, whose presence had briefly intimidated Dana, he proved to be a perfect gentleman. He didn’t say much, but he greeted the young women in a gentle tone, and he was the first to clean up after dinner. Max couldn’t help but notice how much grayer and slower he’d become ever since the day they’d lost Chloe. David wasn’t the rabid dog on a leash that he used to be. Even Kate had told Max about how he’d apologized for harassing her after her fateful night with the Vortex Club.

While Joyce and David took their spot on the couch, and Dana snuck off to use the restroom, Max stood alone at the bottom of the stairs.

Chloe’s room waited up above.

She didn’t move. Her breathing had gone shallow, and she had a fleeting image of the empty bedroom she’d seen in a different timeline. The one where her best friend lay in bed, immobile from the neck down and slowly dying—

 _Stop it,_ Max told herself. _You won’t get anywhere letting the past stop you like that._

Her right hand trembled. When she put it on the banister, the trembling stopped, but the rest of her body started shaking. Max fought past the rising alarm in her brain and took as many deep breaths as she could.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when someone touched her shoulder.

“Sorry!” Dana said, her hands lifted in defense. “I didn’t mean to scare you!”

“S-say something next time,” Max managed to say through a hoarse whisper. She put her hand over her still fast-beating heart. “Wowsers...”

Dana wrapped her hands around Max's bicep, giving it a squeeze. “You okay?”

Max’s first instinct was to nod and say of course she was. Why wouldn’t she be? But she remembered that this was Dana she was talking to. Dana, who was much sharper than she let others believe, including her longtime friend Juliet. And when Max looked into her girlfriend's soft blue eyes, she felt just safe enough to be vulnerable in front of her.

“I’m having a little trouble,” Max admitted. She glanced up the stairs. “I don’t know if I can face going into her room.”

Dana nodded. She held out her hand, and when Max took it, she smiled like a proud mother.

“We’ll go together,” she declared. “One step at a time, okay?”

* * *

**_Then_ **

Dana lay on Max’s bed, staring up at the wall of photos and the string of fairy lights hanging overhead. In her hands was a digital camera, the one she’d bought for class but never used. Except now Dana couldn’t stop snapping pictures of random objects around Max’s room. She only paused to take a selfie or catch a candid photo of Max sitting on the couch.

Max had suggested a break ahead of their winter finals. After trying to cram her head full of math equations and photography history, she wanted nothing more than to sit with her girlfriend and goof off for a bit. At the moment, Max was building up her calluses trying to master “Crosses” by Jose Gonzalez. She didn’t know if she was improving, but every so often, Dana would stop what she was doing and look over at Max, just to lay there and listen. So Max kept on playing and smiling while Dana snapped another picture.

Dana grinned from behind the rangefinder of her toy. “Know any Barrie Gledden?”

“Sorry,” Max said while she strummed a G chord. “If it’s not hipster classic, it’s not on the playlist.”

Lowering her camera, Dana stuck her tongue out. Max giggled and continued to play, switching over to the familiar notes of “Santa Monica Dream.”

While she did, her eyes fell shut. Dana and the rest of the dorm room vanished. In her mind, Max found herself on an RV headed down to Big Sur, all the way along the coast to beautiful LA. That was their dream.

 _I loved her!_ a voice cried out. _And she loved me!_

Max’s fingers froze on the strings. Her eyes flitted open.

Which of them had said that—Max or Chloe? She couldn’t remember, and that scared her. It sounded like Chloe had said about herself and Rachel to someone. Maybe Frank?

But the voice sounded like Max, and she was teetering on falling back into the nightmare all over again. Back down the long, dark trail of Max-and-Chloe memories, from their truck ride on a long-lost Monday to their first kiss on a Wednesday to their last kiss on the edge of a rain-slick precipice. It was beautiful and painful, and she couldn’t face it, she couldn’t stand it, she couldn’t breathe—

“Max!”

Dana’s urgent voice sent her crashing back into reality. Max sat up on her couch, and the guitar landed on the floor with a thud that made her cringe. She went to bury her face in her hands, but Dana caught her by the wrists. She knelt in front of Max and searched her face, looking pretty worried herself.

Max felt tears running down her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry—”

“You’ve nothing to be sorry for.” Dana lifted her hand to cup the side of Max’s face. She used her other hand to brush away the moisture trailing down the other girl’s chin. “You just scared me, that’s all. Are you feeling okay? Do you need to visit the nurse’s office?”

“No, I-I’m fine.” Max wiped her face off. When she could stand to look Dana in the eyes, she chewed on her bottom lip and prayed to whatever God was listening for strength. “I, uh, just had a reaction. It’s been happening ever since—”

“Since Chloe?”

Max swallowed and nodded. “Y-yeah.”

Dana studied her for another minute. Then, moving slowly, she slid onto the couch beside Max and pulled her into a tight hug. Max didn’t so much return the hug as fall limp into Dana’s arms and against her breast. She closed her eyes and sniffled as her girlfriend began stroking her hair.

“Thank you,” Max whimpered.

“Shh.” Dana’s voice was a soft tingle in her ear. “Just relax.”

Max didn’t answer. She offered no resistance whatsoever.

Several minutes passed, long enough for the sunlight outside to dip toward a bright orange, with shades of yellow and pink. Max would’ve been happy on any other afternoon to go out and get some “golden hour” shots for her portfolio. But nothing in Heaven or on Earth could compel her to leave Dana’s loving embrace.

When Max finally sat up, she stretched and yawned. Her tears had dried up and, as if to compensate, her stomach started growling. She offered Dana a sheepish grin and said, “Thanks for staying with me.”

“Don’t mention it. You’d do the same for me.”

“Of course I would.”

“But, please, Max.” Dana gripped her girlfriend’s hands. “Don’t keep me out if you don’t have to. You can talk to me about Chloe.”

Max sniffled. “I know. And I will. Just not yet, okay?”

With a sigh, Dana leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. Max giggled and fell into her for another long hug.

* * *

**_Now_ **

They lay together on top of the bed, holding hands as always. Dana and Max had changed into their sleepwear and cuddled under the sheets, even though it was Dana, rather than Max, who had to be coaxed into doing so.

As far as Max could tell, very little had changed about Chloe’s room. Angry graffiti still littered the walls and the closets were overflowing with mementos, but Joyce or someone else had picked up the mess of clothes from the floor and organized her desk. Max, however, had to wonder if they’d dug any further. Had they found the box with Rachel’s mixtape and photo? Did David know that one of his missing guns was hiding under the bed?

Try as she might, Max couldn’t sleep. Everything about the room reminded her of that fiery blue angel who’d broken into schools in the dead of night, who’d picked fights with drug dealers in one breath and encouraged Max to follow her dreams in the next. She wanted to laugh, cry, and scream all at once. All to be rid of this pain.

 _I can’t forget her,_ Max thought. _I can’t, I can’t, I won’t forget you again, not like before, not like five years ago..._

Her mind went blank the moment she felt someone squeeze her hand. Turning over, Max saw Dana staring at her. In the dark, it was hard to tell, but she seemed worried. And then Max felt guilty for a different reason.

“Can’t sleep either, huh?” Dana winked. “What’s on your mind?”

Max stared, unsure how to answer. She didn’t entirely trust herself to stay sane. In a second, she’d be rambling about time travel superpowers, jumping into Polaroid photographs, and magical storms. Dana would do the smart thing and have Max committed to a place with padded walls and daily doses of antipsychotics.

Was it worth losing her?

Squeezing Dana’s hand back, Max sighed. “I can’t stop thinking about it.”

“About what?”

“All of it.”

Dana’s brow creased. “Max, I don’t...”

“Listen.” Turning over all the way, Max reached for Dana’s other hand and held on tight. “It wasn’t an accident that I was hiding in the girls’ bathroom back in October.” She couldn’t stop her voice from cracking or the tears from falling. “I made a _choice,_ Dana. And I’m the only person alive who knows what really happened and it’s killing me. It’s been killing me slowly ever since that day.”

She heard Dana sniffle, right before she felt the other girl’s hand caress the side of her face.

“It’s okay, Max,” Dana whispered. “Start from the beginning. Tell me everything.”


	3. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Max reveals the truth about her past, Dana faces a strange new road in life. But she won't be walking it alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to everyone who's liked this story. It's been great getting back into a little Wardfield writing, and this story's also helped me come up with some ideas for an original piece that I want to work on now.

**Part III: Aftermath**

**_Then_ **

Few things could scare Max Caulfield anymore. Yet here she stood, transfixed in terror at the sight of Juliet Watson stalking toward her before Max could duck into the girls’ bathroom on their floor. Her friend’s face was molded into a stark mask of barely held together fury and righteousness, the sort Max would’ve flashed at a creep like Nathan or Jefferson a lifetime ago.

She already knew why she was in trouble. All she could do was wait.

“Max, we _need_ to talk,” Juliet fired off.

“Juliet, I can—”

But that was all Max could offer. Without preamble, Juliet yanked Max by the elbow, roughly pulling her into the bathroom and flipping her around so that the school reporter effectively stood between her prey and the only exit.

 _Trapped in the bathroom with a trigger-happy teenager,_ Max reflected. _History just loves repeating itself._

Meanwhile, Juliet planted both hands on her hips. Her icy stare made Max take a few steps back.

“I want answers, Max. I _know_ about you and Dana. You’re not as subtle as you used to be. I see the giggles and the hand-holding and those doe-eyed smiles when you’re passing in the hall. But you don’t know Dana like I do, okay?”

Despite her fear, Max knew that Juliet was no armed and deadly Nathan Prescott. She let out the breath she’d been holding and raised her head.

“And what do you know that I don’t?” she asked.

“I know how easily Dana falls in love.” A brief twitch passed over Juliet’s eyes. “Why do you think I bit down so easily on that rumor about her and Zachary? I _know_ what she’s like. And while she is my friend, she doesn’t always make the best decisions. And, come to think of it, neither do you.”

 _You have no idea,_ Max thought.

“Juliet?” she asked. “Do you honestly think I’d hurt Dana?”

Pursing her lips together, the school reporter looked Max up and down. She hesitated a second more before shaking her head and replying, “Maybe not.”

Diplomacy seemed to be the best course of action. Max clasped her hands together, a small gesture of supplication. “I do get why you’re upset, though. I saw what happened after Logan and Trevor. But I’m _not_ them, Juliet. I wouldn’t do that to her.”

After a second, Juliet glanced askew at the smaller girl. “I’d like to believe that, Max. It’s just that I... look, Dana... I _know_ her. I know what she likes and what she doesn’t.”

“So you’re positive that she couldn’t like _me_?” Max crossed her arms. In a heartbeat, she was channeling the same defiance that led her to call out Victoria’s bullshit on the dance floor. Taking down the Queen Bee of Blackwell, and the beast that they both once admired, made this petty squabble look like a cakewalk.

“I...” Juliet stopped and gave Max another scrutinizing look. Clearly, she’d been prepared for a round with the old, shy Max Caulfield. When her opposition didn’t waver, Juliet sighed and ducked her head.

“I thought I was sure about lots of things,” she grumbled.

Max frowned as another thought occurred to her. She waited another second before asking, “This, um, wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that I’m a girl, would it?”

Juliet, to her credit, blushed. She crossed her arms and stepped back until she slumped against the bathroom wall. When her head rose, her lips quirked in an odd smile. “I’ll admit, it really did catch me off-guard. I never knew Dana was... like that. Or you, for that matter.”

A bright smile came to Max’s face now that the worst was past. “We’re all full of surprises, I guess. Like that article you wrote in the _Totem_ about bullying. I didn’t know you could write like that.”

Juliet smiled, too. “Well, geez, Max. If you liked it, you should’ve said something.”

“I was kinda dealing with a lot other issues back then.”

“Oh. Oh, shit, you’re right.” Juliet grimaced and looked away. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine. And for what it’s worth, I think you’re a good friend to Dana.”

“Well, she’s crazy about you. Talks about you every chance she gets. So I had to find out if it was the real thing.”

“And?”

“And you passed with flying colors.” Juliet pushed herself off the wall, still smiling. She paused to examine herself in a nearby mirror before turning to leave. “Sorry to ambush you, Max. I’m sure you’ll make her happy. Just be honest with her, okay?”

Max nodded. “I promise. Nothing but the truth.”

* * *

**_Now_ **

Sunlight and a brisk morning breeze fluttered in through the open window of Chloe’s bedroom. From her spot on the bed, Max groaned and turned onto her side. She rubbed away the sleep from her eyes and reached over to pat her girlfriend’s shoulder. But when she found the spot beside her empty, Max blinked. She sat up, already preparing a plan of action to track down Dana.

But it was a false alarm. Dana sat in the chair by the desk. She’d already dressed, applied makeup, and done up her hair.

Max would’ve made a comment about how beautiful she looked, except Dana didn’t look happy. Her eyes were fixed on some distant point outside, with her arms on the desk propping her upright.

Clearing her throat, Max asked, “Dana, are you okay?”

Dana looked back at her with deep red eyes. Her whole face had gone swollen with an old pain. The mascara did little to cover up the bags underneath her eyes. Max couldn’t bear another second and leapt from the bed to her feet.

As Dana opened her mouth to speak, Max intercepted her with a hug that nearly sent the two women crashing to the floor. As the chair wobbled back into place, Max stepped back and blushed.

“I-I’m sorry,” she stammered. “I didn’t mean... I never wanted to hurt...”

But Dana shook her head. “It’s not your fault, Max. I just... I just can’t...” She swallowed and leaned back into her girlfriend, burying her face into the side of her neck. Max slid her arms around her and waited.

When Dana did lift her head again, her mascara ruined, she looked Max over. “I can’t believe it. I can’t _begin_ to imagine what you’ve been through. All the times you watched Chloe die. All the... the times you watched Kate _jump_ —” She put her hand to her mouth, muffling another sob. Her voice became a tragic squeal. “How could you live with that?”

Max squeezed her eyes shut. She kept thinking that, after all her time travel mishaps and nightmares, she’d be immune to this emotional torture.

“Not just that,” Max admitted. “All the people _I_ hurt, too. I’m no better than Victoria when I’m rewinding time and using their secrets against them.” Dropping to her knees, she grabbed Dana’s hands and locked eyes with her. “I am so, so sorry for what I did with your pregnancy test, Dana. That was unfair, and you deserve so much—”

“Max, please.” Dana waved her down. Then she cupped Max’s face with one hand. “I can’t be mad at you for that.” Her eyes blinked back tears and her voice cracked when she added, “You... you were trapped with that monster Jefferson. You _and_ Victoria. Do you think I’d hate you when I know what you’ve been through?” She sniffled and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. “Getting pregnant is nothing compared to that.”

“Dana...”

“I always knew you were strong, Max. And now I know why. I could never be that strong. I could never face the Dark Room, or watch my best friend die, or—”

“Dana!” Max’s voice was an anguished cry. She stopped her girlfriend’s rambling with a sudden kiss. After a moment’s hesitation, Dana returned that kiss. Her hands reached up and tangled themselves in Max’s hair, gripping it as hard as their lips pressed together. Max briefly wondered what would happen if Joyce or David decided to walk in at that moment.

Then she decided she didn’t care.

After a second or two, Max pulled back and caressed her sweetheart’s face. Wet eyeliner leaked onto her fingertips, but she didn’t mind. Whatever weight had been sitting on her chest for months and months had finally lifted itself, and she could breathe a little easier now, even while Dana fell to pieces.

She’d been brave for Chloe, for Kate, and for Victoria. She’d be brave for Dana, too.

“I hate making you cry,” Max whispered. “In any timeline. And you’re wrong, you know. You’ve been strong, too.”

“Shut up...”

“No, really. You’ve been so loving and supportive, even when I had panic attacks like every other day.”

Dana used her shirt sleeve to rub away the ruined makeup from her face. “I can’t compare to Chloe. You... you deserved to be happy with her...”

Max swallowed. Now was not the time to revisit _that_ old wound.

“It doesn’t matter what I deserve,” she insisted. “I can never go back and try to fix things. I’ll go crazy if I do.” Lifting Dana’s chin with her hand, she added, “Maybe this is enough for me. To know that Chloe’s at peace. To know that Kate’s alive. And to... to...” Max blushed and looked away.

Dana stared. “To what, Max?”

“To be happy with you.”

“Max...”

“I mean it.” Standing up, Max held out her hand. “Now let’s go wash up. And just so you know, I think you’re still beautiful even without makeup.”

Dana’s reply was halfway between a laugh and a sob. All the same, she grabbed Max’s hand and let herself be guided out to the bathroom in the hallway.

* * *

Luck was on their side. Neither Joyce nor David was anywhere to be found upstairs. One face washing session later, Max led Dana back to the bedroom and got dressed. As a tribute to Rachel, she went with a red flannel shirt over a black top and jeans. Her clothes were a perfect fit, and she felt a little light and graceful when she walked. No more clumsy, awkward Max Caulfield, the perpetually shy hipster child.

As she locked arms with her stylish girlfriend and descended the stairs, Max could imagine Chloe somewhere below. She’d catch sight of the couple and let out a wolf whistle or a thumbs-up. Anything to embarrass her friend for old times’ sake. Max smiled at the thought and continued toward the kitchen.

They found Joyce at her usual spot by the stove, frying up a skillet full of eggs and bacon. The aroma alone made Max grin from ear to ear, and she poked her head through the doorway to call out, “Wakey wakey!”

“Eggs and bakey!” Joyce finished. She turned down the heat on the stove, chuckling as she did. “Oh, Max, it is good having you around again. Makes me feel younger.”

“You’re only as young as you feel.”

“Hmph. Try telling my back or my ankles, why don’t you?” Joyce’s smile faded when she caught sight of the outfit Max wore. “Why, Max, you’re just the splitting image of Rachel Amber.”

“Thanks.” Max grinned and ducked her head. “You look good, too. Well rested.”

“Nice save, kid.” Glancing over at Dana, Joyce’s expression softened. “Is everything all right, dear? You look a little out of sorts.”

Before Dana could even open her mouth to reply, Max pulled her close and said, “It’s just her appetite. Nothing that a little breakfast can’t fix.”

“All right, all right, I can take a hint. Go ahead and sit down, you two.”

Once Joyce’s back was turned, Max and Dana went to the breakfast table as ordered. Sitting down, Max felt Dana’s hand tighten around her fingers and looked up to see her girlfriend’s face composed into a mask of worry.

“Max,” Dana whispered. “She doesn’t know, does she?”

Those good vibes that had carried Max downstairs finally began to fade. She squeezed Dana’s hand and shook her head. “I couldn’t do that to her.” Then, after stealing a glance at the kitchen, she added, “If she knew what choice Chloe had made, what choice _I_ made, she’d never forgive herself for marrying David.”

“But—”

Max shushed her just in time. Joyce came out of the kitchen with a pair of plates balanced expertly in her hands. She deposited them onto the table. Golden mountains of fluffy scrambled eggs lay beside a river of still-sizzling applewood smoked bacon. Their ever-gracious host followed up with a fresh pot of coffee as the two women dug into their meal.

They’d shed enough tears that morning to deserve it.

Later, after insisting on cleaning up, Max left Dana to chat with Joyce while she headed upstairs and collected their overnight travel bags. She paused to take one last look around the room.

It didn’t hurt to be there. Not like it had the night before. Max ran a hand over a patch of graffiti near the edge of one wall. Her fingers lingered around the “Hole to Another Universe” and she waited for some catastrophe, some trigger that would send her into a migraine and leave her in a fetal position on the floor. So many times she’d expected for this reality to collapse, for this long dream to end and another nightmare to begin.

When the moment passed, Max leaned onto her tiptoes and gave the black spot on the wall a kiss.

“I won’t let them change a thing,” Max promised. “It’ll be exactly as you left it.”

* * *

**_Now and forever_ **

Passing through the front gate of the cemetery, Max felt a tiny chill creeping down the small of her back. She took solace in the gentle warmth of the sun radiating through the air. Dana’s hand was equally warm around her arm, guiding Max over the grassy field at a comfortable pace.

She hadn’t visited this place for a long time. Not because Max didn’t _want_ to, but because she didn’t feel Chloe here. Or Rachel Amber, for that matter. Their gravestones had been placed side by side in late October. Nothing could’ve made Max happier, but when she’d come to pay her respects, she didn’t get any sense of either girl being there. It was easier to imagine Chloe or Rachel hovering near her elbow throughout the day, watching over her without a word. She’d rather imagine them free and happy than trapped in the soil of a town they’d tried so hard to escape.

“You didn’t have to do this,” Max said for perhaps the sixth or seventh time that morning.

For the sixth or seventh time, Dana shook her head. “I _want_ to be here, Max. It’s the one place in town we haven’t been together.”

“That’s not true. There’s also the road that leads _out_ of Arcadia Bay.”

“Just a little longer, sweetie.” Dana squeezed Max’s hand. Max squeezed it back.

As they approached the grave marked for Chloe Price, Max felt a sharp sting of guilt in the back of her neck. How many times had she and Chloe talked about traveling the world together? And here was Max making plans for a road trip with Dana. On a sheet of notebook paper, they’d scrawled out a list of all the places they wanted to visit, like Powell’s Books in Portland, a few trendy roadside cafés along the Interstate 5, and a scenic tour of Seattle before they met up with Max’s parents. Dana had been as happy as a child making these plans, and Max had tried to be happy for her sake.

Standing before Chloe’s grave, however, gave her plenty of second thoughts.

Grabbing at her arm, Max cleared her throat. She tried to speak, failed, and closed her mouth again. When she looked at Dana, she shrugged.

“I don’t know what to say,” Max whispered. Then she wondered why she was whispering in the middle of an empty cemetery. Who was she even offending?

“You don’t have to say anything,” Dana replied. Her hand traveled up Max’s arm, coming to rest on her shoulder in a loving pat. “But if it’s cool with you, I’d like to say a few words.”

Max nodded and stepped back. She watched Dana approach the gravesite at a cautious pace. Meanwhile, her heart pounded in her chest. She could almost imagine the funeral all over again, from Joyce’s constant tears to the long and sincere hugs Kate had given out at the conclusion of the service. A melancholy weight settled in her stomach, and Max started to feel sick.

 _Keep it together,_ she warned herself. _Do it for Dana. Do it for Chloe._

As Max wrestled with her emotions, Dana cleared her throat and began to speak.

“Hi, Chloe,” she began in a soft voice. After a pause, she added, “Um, you probably don’t know me, but... well, we were in the same math class, I think? It’s, uh, Dana Ward, by the way.” Dana offered a tiny wave of her hand. “Hi again.”

Max said nothing. She could only hug herself and force herself to keep watching.

“I’m sorry we never got to hang out,” Dana continued. “Max has told me how cool you were—how cool you _are,_ I mean. I wish I’d known more people like you at Blackwell. You and Rachel Amber. You were... you were too cool for that school, you know? And I know how cool Max is, too. Even if no one else gets her, I do. And I get what you saw in her. I get what she means to you, and I respect the hell out of you for that, Chloe.”

Dana paused, lifting a hand to hold back a tear. Max fought the urge to cry herself, though the pinpricks she felt in her eyes told her she was losing that battle.

“I know what you did for this town,” said Dana. As she spoke, she knelt down on the grass. “No one else but Max and I know. I’m... God, I’m sorry you had to face that. But I want you to know something, Chloe. Wherever you are—and I hope it’s a happy place—I hope you get that Max is gonna be okay. She’s in good hands. I’m not gonna let anything happen to her.”

Now Max _was_ crying, but it was more out of relief than anguish.

She let Dana go on talking and crept up behind her. Dana didn’t even stop when Max crouched and slid her arms around her waist, hugging her close. Not even the tears slipping down the back of her blouse could stop Dana from getting out her words.

In the end, Dana paused one last time. Then she smiled and laid her hand on the gravestone. “Thank you again, Chloe. I want this trip to be a blast, and I hope you and Rachel are with us the whole time. That’d be... that’d be super cool.”

When she turned around, Dana flashed a look of worry. “Oh, geez. Max, are you okay? Do you need—?”

Max shut her up with a kiss to the side of the neck. Her lips trailed up the neck to Dana’s cheeks, leaving streaks of her tears the whole way. Dana closed her eyes and let herself receive the affection she deserved.

“I...” Max gasped for air when she met Dana’s eyes again. “I’m so lucky to have you... you know? I would’ve gone crazy without you.”

Her girlfriend’s smile was warmer than the air around them. With a sigh, she took Max by both hands and helped her back onto her feet. As she wrapped her arm around Max’s shoulder, Dana leaned in and planted a kiss on her forehead. Max giggled, and so did she.

“Max, I love you, but you need to just chill sometimes,” Dana remarked.

“I’m learning how, thanks to you.”

“Yes, I can see that.” Dana winked. “And you’re teaching me a lot about enjoying a night in.”

“I love you, too.”

“Then you don’t mind...?” Dana gestured toward the street outside the cemetery, where Chloe’s ancient, battered truck sat waiting on the curb.

Max chuckled. “I can drive us the whole way if you want.”

“Sounds perfect.”

They walked off, hand in hand. Max didn’t bother looking around for blue butterflies or ghostly deer. She didn’t take her gaze off Dana, their luggage-filled truck, or the familiar streets of Arcadia Bay as they drove off into the sunset. They smiled and chatted as they found the main road heading out toward the highway. Dana slid in a CD that she’d mixed for the occasion, and as the music played, neither girl dared to steal a glance back at the sleepy coastal town.


End file.
